A sports development officer encourages people to participate in sports. This position’s funding could come from a local government looking to promote fitness in its community, sports organizations looking to increase participation in their sport, or even community organizations hoping to use sports to reduce delinquent behavior among young people. A candidate for this position should have a bachelor’s degree in physical education or a related field, excellent communication and writing skills, and experience developing and managing sports programs.
Physical fitness, emotional well-being, and community ties are all enhanced by recreational activities. Many towns have hired a sports development officer to increase participation in recreational activities as a result of these benefits. The requirements of this position in a community setting are to develop sports programs that may be of interest to the community and to encourage community participation in those sports. A person working in community sports development, for example, might start and run a little league, a soccer club, or even a senior dance class.
A community or non-profit organization may hire a sports development officer to promote the use of sports as a positive outlet for troubled youth. In this case, the sports development officer would organize sports leagues, train coaches, and work to encourage children to join the leagues. It’s possible that the sports development officer will be asked to write grants to help fund new sports programs.
A sports organization may also hire a sports development specialist to encourage people to participate in their sport. In this case, the sports development officer may travel to towns where there is a lack of participation in her particular sport in order to start or promote leagues. Short-term clinics to introduce the sport to young people may also be organized by the sports development officer. This person may also be required to keep track of which programs failed to increase participation and which programs were successful.
Physical education, sports management, or even recreational management are common degrees for sports development officers. To promote and encourage participation in the recreation programs, the person in this position should have excellent communication skills. In order to run each of the sports programs, he also needs strong and well-organized management skills. Many sports development officers are responsible for recruiting and training coaches, so having a basic understanding of sports rules as well as the ability to motivate and teach others is a plus. When funding for a new sports program is unavailable, grant-writing experience may be required.